An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 shook japanese Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts which have left many on the island reeling.
The epicentre of the quake was positioned about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba, based on a report by the US Geological Survey.
Rumbling was felt throughout the japanese stretch of Cuba, together with in larger cities like Santiago de Cuba, in addition to Holguin and. Guantanamo. Native media in Jamaica additionally reported that the island felt the tremors. There have been no rapid stories of main injury or accidents in Cuba.
Residents in Santiago, Cuba’s second-largest metropolis, had been left shaken on Sunday. Yolanda Tabío, 76, stated that folks within the metropolis flocked to the streets and had been nonetheless nervously sitting of their doorways. She stated that she felt no less than two aftershocks following the quake, however that amongst family and friends she hadn’t heard of any damages. “You needed to see how every thing was shifting, the partitions, every thing,” she advised The Related Press.
Others reported listening to screams, including that the quake was sturdy and stretched on. On social media, residents within the small city of Pilon reported minor injury, posting photographs of crumbling roofs and cracks on constructing partitions, not unusual in Cuba the place many buildings are older and in want of restore. The earthquake comes throughout one other powerful stretch for Cuba.
On Wednesday, Class 3 Hurricane Rafael ripped by way of western Cuba, with sturdy winds knocking out energy island-wide, destroying lots of of properties and forcing evacuations of lots of of 1000’s of individuals. Days after, a lot of the island was nonetheless struggling with out energy.
Weeks earlier than in October, the island was additionally hit by a one-two punch. First, it was hit by island-wide blackouts stretching on for days, a product of the island’s vitality disaster. Shortly after, it was slapped by a strong hurricane that struck the japanese a part of the island and killed no less than six individuals.
The blackouts and wider discontent amongst many struggling to get by has stoked small protests throughout the island.
